How Do You Offset 6 Million Tonnes of Carbon? One At A Time

"In a recent survey of 1,400 adults believing in climate change caused by humans, 75% agree that there is something they can personally do to help the planet, but yet only 40% have taken action," says Marisa de Belloy, COO of Cool Effect, the crowdfunding site that helps people buy carbon credits simply and affordably.

Americans produce an average of 17 tonnes of carbon per year, she says. The remarkable thing is how affordable it is to offset that production at CoolEffect.org. The site provides a clear price for a one-tonne carbon credit for each project on the site. The lowest price per credit: $4.12. At that price, Americans can offset their entire year's carbon production for just $70.04.

De Belloy hopes to get the nonprofit site's users to look past their own carbon offset requirements and to focus instead on supporting great projects, most of which provide a variety of social and environmental benefits aside from carbon offsets.

Honduran Household Hero has sold 130,000 clean cookstoves in the country, not only reducing the amount of wood burned for cooking but also reducing the amount of smoke in homes and the health burden the smoke imposed on the developing country.

A Breath of Fresh Air in Peru is protecting 450,000 acres from deforestation along with protecting the wildlife in the forest, including 400 bird and 3,000 plant species, some of which are unique to this forest.

Wind Power to the People operating in Costa Rica is helping to bring that country to carbon neutrality by 2021. The project provides electricity to 50,000 people. Because the project is structured as a co-op, the local community members benefit.